Gerard Reid has over two decades’ experience in equity research and fund management in the energy area. He is also a leading energy expert and lecturer, author and monthly columnist for BIZZ energy today, the German energy industry publication. Prior to founding Alexa Capital, he was Managing Director and Head of European Cleantech Research at the US investment bank Jefferies & Co. Before joining Jefferies, Gerard managed a renewable energy fund. He has broad relationships across the institutional and private investor communities as well as amongst government policy makers, utilities and technology providers to the energy area. Gerard has been teaching in the university in Berlin for the last decade. Gerard holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree as well as a Higher Diploma in Education from Trinity College Dublin.
Gerard Wynn has two decade’s experience in energy, climate change, the environment and economics. In 2014, Gerard founded the consultancy GWG Energy, providing communications and analysis services in the fields of energy and climate change.
Gerard also writes op-eds and analysis for a range of media outlets, including ChinaDialogue and Responding to Climate Change. Previously, Gerard worked for a decade as a reporter, columnist and analyst at Reuters News Agency, where he helped lead energy and climate coverage. Prior to that, he worked as a researcher in environmental and land use policy at the James Hutton Research Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland. Gerard holds a PhD in environmental economics from Aberdeen University (2002), and a Masters in Agricultural Economics from Imperial College at Wye (1997).
Why we started this
Gerard Reid & Gerard Wynn decided to set up this blog after collaborating for several years, initially when Gerard Wynn was working as an energy analyst for Reuters and Gerard Reid as a sell side analyst in the energy area for the US investment bank Jefferies.
The fact we are both called “Gerard” is simply a mysterious, happy coincidence, and our idea with the blog is to give you insight and analysis into the energy technology revolution that is transforming our economies, what we call the Digital Energy Revolution.
The major technology drivers of the Digital Energy Revolution include:
1. New power generation technologies
Such as solar have triggered an order of magnitude collapse in prices for building renewable generation, creating opportunities for massive energy savings for users with the flexibility and technology to embrace change.
2. Advances in drilling technologies
In oil & gas have already transferred the global landscape and are set to change global geopolitics.
3. Energy efficiency technology
Development is now showing significant cost savings across transport, industrial, business and home markets and is causing a decoupling of GDP growth and demand for energy.
4. Smartness is becoming cheaper
Thanks in part to advances driven by the relentless pace of the 1+ billion global smartphone market plus pervasive internet connectivity which is reducing costs of batteries, LEDs, sensors and power controllers at unbelievable speeds all of which have uses beyond our phones and which will enable us to better use energy without thinking about it.
5. Smart networks
Are enabling active pricing of electricity based on supply & demand, real-time as well as allowing increasing levels of decentralised production and consumer engagement. In addition, the combination of cheap semiconductors and communications technologies are enabling the Internet of Things which will change how we engage with energy forever.
6. Coming of the electric vehicle
(be it powered by hydrogen or a battery) will have huge ramifications for the oil and automobile industries.
The Digital Energy Revolution will wipe hundreds of billions from the value of many of the industries and old-world energy companies (and even countries) that are slow to embrace change. This revolution will also create billions for those embracing the new digital energy order. Just as was witnessed across telecoms and media, digitalization is driving massive new capital flows, which will also necessitate a reconfiguration of our traditional fossil fuel based economy.
Our goal with the blog is to provide a platform to discuss and strategise about these trends in an open and informal forum with the view of aiding business and political leaders navigate through the choppy waters ahead.
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Germany can move to a renewable economy with existing technologies
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- 15-03-16
As Germany makes a transition away from fossil fuels to renewables traditional power plants are being increasingly used for backup purposes. The amount of conventional generation needed will only decr
Fukushima and the nuclear recession
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- 12-03-16
It was five years ago that the Fukushima nuclear accident happened, the impacts of which are still being felt across the world. However, Fukushima is only partly responsible for the recent move away f
Can companies drive demand for renewable power?
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- 07-03-16
An obscure rule-change under carbon reporting standards could boost corporate demand for renewable electricity. There are different ways companies can source 100% renewable electricity, whether thr
The illusion of the German copper plate power grid
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- 02-03-16
Electricity that costs the same everywhere without any transmission bottlenecks. Producers and consumers operating without constraints, producing and using electricity as they like. Network operators
Prospects for solar in 2016 and beyond
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- 26-02-16
As has been the case for over one decade, I underestimated the size of the global solar markets in 2015. A year ago I predicted that the global solar market would be just over 50GW, but although final
Morocco solar shows developing country trend
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- 22-02-16
Give Morocco credit. It has set ambitious renewable energy goals and dropped all fossil fuel subsidies. It opened up the electric power sector to private companies and made long-term guarantees that t
European biomass power is a stranded asset risk
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- 23-05-15
Britain's Drax power plant is one of Europe's biggest coal plants, and it is in the process of converting its boilers to become one of the world's biggest sources of biomass power. These are facts.
The declining value of wind and solar to the German power system
-
- 10-01-16
New evidence suggests that the value of wind and solar power on German wholesale power markets may decline rapidly in the next five years, potentially inflating the support they receive, and reinforci
Decoding the Paris climate agreement
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- 12-12-15
The world concluded four years of negotiations on Saturday with the first universal agreement on climate change. Nearly 190 countries pledged national climate action, and all countries agreed a global
Carbon markets grow, but global price is out of reach
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- 09-12-15
A global carbon price is out of reach, but governments meeting in Paris can promote linking of national carbon markets, and invest in alternative approaches for climate action, such as cleantech R&
Solar may be biggest winner from Paris conference
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- 08-12-15
The standout winning technology from a climate conference in Paris this week may be renewable energy, and in particular solar power, suggests a basic name-check of announcements, pledges and targets.
Italy: the Sleeping Beauty of Energy Efficiency
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- 18-12-15
Italy is finally coming out of a difficult economic crisis, as are Italy's industrial and business sectors. Now the common challenge is how to become more efficient in order to stay competitive, and "
Germany can move to a renewable economy with existing technologies
-
- 15-03-16
As Germany makes a transition away from fossil fuels to renewables traditional power plants are being increasingly used for backup purposes. The amount of conventional generation needed will only decr
The illusion of the German copper plate power grid
-
- 02-03-16
Electricity that costs the same everywhere without any transmission bottlenecks. Producers and consumers operating without constraints, producing and using electricity as they like. Network operators
Morocco solar shows developing country trend
-
- 22-02-16
Give Morocco credit. It has set ambitious renewable energy goals and dropped all fossil fuel subsidies. It opened up the electric power sector to private companies and made long-term guarantees that t
The coming of the internet of energy
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- 17-02-16
As renewables penetration rises across the world, increasing numbers of people are becoming aware that just installing more renewables and upgrading the old grid will not lead to carbon free electrici
Where did it all go wrong for French nuclear giant AREVA?
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- 15-02-16
Under the normal scheme of things the French company nuclear giant AREVA should be bankrupt. But given that the French state owns 85% directly or indirectly through the CEA “Commissariat a l’Energ
Time for large scale energy storage in Latin America?
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- 10-02-16
Many Latin American countries are facing increasing challenges to integrate renewable energy into their energy markets; and the rapid expansion of renewable energy has created several challenges for e
The declining value of wind and solar to the German power system
-
- 10-01-16
New evidence suggests that the value of wind and solar power on German wholesale power markets may decline rapidly in the next five years, potentially inflating the support they receive, and reinforci
Our top ten energy and carbon blogs in 2015
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- 07-01-16
We have now being running the Energy and Carbon Blog for a little over a year. We would like to thank all of our readers, and as way to cap off 2015 we include below ten of the most read blogs from th
Our energy and climate predictions for 2016
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- 04-01-16
Last year was an interesting year for energy and climate change! Traded oil and coal prices fell to multi-year lows, while there were record global installations of wind and solar power. On the climat
Osram’s Brave Move in Lighting
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- 20-12-15
In these times of fast technology change and increasing competition from China, India and other countries across the world, I am very critical of incumbents and how they deal with the challenges they
Italy: the Sleeping Beauty of Energy Efficiency
-
- 18-12-15
Italy is finally coming out of a difficult economic crisis, as are Italy's industrial and business sectors. Now the common challenge is how to become more efficient in order to stay competitive, and "
Solar may be biggest winner from Paris conference
-
- 08-12-15
The standout winning technology from a climate conference in Paris this week may be renewable energy, and in particular solar power, suggests a basic name-check of announcements, pledges and targets.
Financial Stability Board pressures high-carbon assets
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- 04-12-15
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has tasked a new body to develop a consistent measure of corporate climate risk, raising the profile of the climate threat to global stability, and perhaps adding m
The Disaster called RWE
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- 03-12-15
Being a shareholder in RWE has not been a nice place to be over the last two years with the stock price down circa 60% with the recent share price increase (17% on Tuesday alone) a mere "dead cat’s
10 Energy Trends that are Catching my Eye
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- 01-12-15
TREND 1. : YieldCos and developers are definitely not the magic formula to finance renewable energy. Their business plans are too aggressive for their slim equity base, and they are too much leveraged
The last chance for Germany’s Big 4 utilities
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- 29-11-15
I found it quite amusing to hear Peter Terium, the CEO of the German utility RWE say that they needed new capital for growth and that it was very difficult for them to get that capital. I say this bec
Big is beautiful: Solar Home Systems are building Energy Infrastructure
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- 28-11-15
A whole host of Pay-as-you-go companies have set out to serve the so-called Base of the Pyramid, or the world's poorest 4bn people. While the name Base of the Pyramid suggests homogeneity and similar
Lessons from the UK’s abandonment of carbon capture and storage
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- 27-11-15
Britain’s withdrawal on Wednesday of £1 billion support for carbon capture and storage (CCS) may end prospects for the technology this decade in Europe. CCS is a barely tested tool which may all
Why National Grid’s decision to sell its gas grid is highly significant
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- 22-11-15
National Grid, the UK listed group which owns and operates natural gas and electrical grid assets in the UK and the US, announced earlier this month its intention to sell a majority stake in its UK na
GUEST BLOG-Energy Market Reform for Renewables
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- 19-11-15
The UK's Energy Market Reform (EMR) was introduced for two main reasons: concern that inadequate private investment under the liberalized system was eroding the UK’s security of supply, and growing
Why Paris climate conference will be a success
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- 12-11-15
(this blog was written before the terrible events on Friday; we see that the climate conference will go ahead in Paris, from Nov 30 - Dec 11) Can a UN conference on climate change ever live up to i
Curious why we
started this blog?
Discover our story
My own home country Ireland has a long way to go... https://t.co/YKHnzsaehf ...
EDF Is "Uninvestable" - Re-Nationalisation Looms https://t.co/Ak8HLJUbBg ...
Fukushima and the Dismal Future of Nuclear https://t.co/rp1ngDbPyc ...
A good overview of solar in India! https://t.co/5mx0TyJ7co ...
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